If you´re struggling to cope with rising interest rates and record petrol prices,here are a few ideas on how you can boost your income,from selling unwanted stuff to being paid to shop or hang out at a pub.
Think before commiting.
Before you dive into a second job,there are a few things you need to consider.
-Make sure it´s not going to cause a conflict of interest with your daily job.
-Be realistic about whether it will fit in with your lifestyle and personality.If you´re the shy,retiring type,then fronting Tupperware parties probably isn´t for you.
-Look into the tax implications.It´s worth getting professional advice on this,especially if you need to set up as a contractor.
Sell your stuff.
Selling things you no longer like,need or use can turn a tidy profit.
While the traditional garage sale is always an option,opening up to world-wide-web will put your stuff in front of millions of potential buyers.
Everyone has something lurking at the back of a cupboard that they never use.
Plenty of people want to do more than sell the odd item online.Ebay has 52.700 people who use the site as either their primary or secondary source of income.
Sell yourself.
Or rather lease out your body for the sake of medical research.
Every drug released in Australia has to go through a testing process,and the drug companies are willing to pay big money to get human guinea pigs.
Payment depends on the time commitment involved – from about 300 dollar for a few hours up to 5.000 dollar for more time intensive trials.
Go shopping and eat out.
Believe it or not,you can actually make money from shopping or eating out.
Retailers and service organisations employ mystery shoppers to test the quality of their customer services and products.
This means´that you can get paid to go shopping or even for spending some time at the pub.
Payment can be a flat fee which is based on the time spent in a store and how detailed the report of the visit is.
Shoppers can also opt to be reimbursed,or partially reimbursed,for purchases they have made.
Razzle dazzle.
The film and television industry is not solely the domain of the beautiful people – average people are needed to fill out background shots.
Rates of pay depends on whether you´re just a face in the crowd or a featured extra.
You could make 20 dollars an hour to be an extra on a TV commercial,but if you´re a featured extra this could jump to 2.500 dollars gross for a day´s work.
If the ad is picked up overseas or in print,you´ll get more again.Full award rates ca be seen here.
Second job tax.
You won´t pay a higher tax rate on a second income,but you will pay tax on every dollar you earn in that second job.
Beware of work from home scams.
Remeber the old adage if it sounds too good to be true it probably is.
So be sceptical about those notices plastered on lamp posts that promise hundreds of dollars a week to work from home.
Some offers for envelope-stugging jobs require you to hand over hundreds of dollars for a starter kit or other products,only for the ´´employer´´ to disappear once you hand over the money.
Other scams involve you assembling products from material bought from the employer,only for them to refuse to pay you for the finished article,saying it´s of inferior quality.
Warning signs.
-You get a job offer claiming you can make a lot of money with little effort by using your home computer.
-You receive an offer to work from home,but first you need to pay a registration fee or send your home adress for more information.
-You receive information about a job which only requires you to transfer money for someone else,this is money laundering.